Criminal
by Aikori Ichijouji
Summary: "And it's a sad, sad world when a girl will break a boy just because she can." Kyoko is troubled by the fact that she's taking advantage of Ren's feelings not realizing they're for her in the first place. Add a little fluff, some angst, and a side-helping of laughter! Not a songfic; only inspired by a song. What is epilogue, Precious?
1. The One I've Sinned Against

**AN: It's been a while since I've done this. Do we even still do disclaimers anymore?**

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Kyoko woke to the feeling of her nose pressed against the cold wall flanking the side of the bed on which she fell asleep. The wall had a rough, uneven texture and the faint smell of plaster. She had no ideas as to how she ended up here but she was quite certain she was uncomfortable and needed to move. Her attempt to roll backwards towards the center of the bed was met with resistance by an elbow and a knee; neither of which belonged to her. She rotated in her spot to see Ren asleep on the bed beside her. Under any other circumstances, this would be cause for alarm but this was another night spent in a random hotel as the Heel siblings.

She noticed the blankets were bunched and twisted around his shoulders and neck. It must have been another restless night of haunting dreams causing him to thrash about and resulting in her current position of being pinned to the wall.

He insisted that they sleep in the same bed last night so that his "cute little sister could help keep the bad dreams at bay," he said. It appears that she wasn't a powerful enough ward against the night's visions. Kyoko sighed and looked towards the hotel room's balcony window. The sky was still dark with no sign of dawn approaching so she figured it was fairly early still and decided to try to get a little more sleep. The challenge would be trying to get 'Cain' to move out of the way and relinquish more space on the bed.

"Nii-san," she whined in a soft voice as Setsu while gently nudging the offending limbs out of the way, "you're taking up too much room. Move over."

A grunt came from the sleeping form as the extended elbow and knee slowly retracted. Kyoko began to adjust herself in the newly vacated space when Ren's arm suddenly shot out and pulled her in closer. Her head was now awkwardly tucked under his chin as his body moved to curl around hers. His chest pushed against her hand as he let out a long, contented sigh. She struggled in the tight embrace as she tried move up towards the pillow to straighten out enough so she could be comfortable.

Once she reached her goal, she realized, to her dismay, that she was too close to Ren's face opposite her on the pillow. Way, way too close.

She could feel his breath across her face as they lay almost nose-to-nose. He smelled of cigarettes and bath soap. As she watched him sleeping peacefully for a moment, her hand, as if moving all on it's own, reached out to brush back the hair that hung across his face; the soft strands running through her fingers. She smiled softly as she stroked his hair until the reality of what she was allowing herself to do came slamming home in her brain. Her hand jerked away; the sudden movement caused the arms that encircled her to tighten their embrace and Kyoto was pulled towards him yet again.

Nose bumped into nose and, without warning, lips crashed into lips. Kyoko's mind swam as it tried desperately to anchor itself so she could muster some sort of reaction. His hand dove into her hair and pushed gently against the back of her head; increasing the contact between them as his lips slowly began to move against hers. This was no longer an accident of proximity but an earnest outpouring of desire and yearning.

Who exactly was kissing her? Was it Cain? Ren? Someone else?

More importantly, who did they think they were kissing? Setsu? That high school girl? A former lover? It certainly wasn't her. No one as plain and unattractive as her would be kissed the way she was being kissed right now.

But she wasn't exactly ready to put an end to it. There was something intoxicating about the feel of his lips on hers while his hand lazily stroked the back of her neck. She was drowning in it and keenly aware of every smell, sound, and taste. The soft, warm pressure sent shivers down her spine. Her love for Ren had her crossing into very dangerous territory.

This was wrong. She was taking advantage of someone else's feelings to satisfy her own desires. That made her no better than that bastard who threw her away without a second thought. It had to stop.

Kyoko gently pulled away and slowly opened one eye to peek at him and see if he woke up and realized what was going on. She did not know what she would do if he had. There was no way to explain what just happened without her revealing her feelings for him. Death would be preferable over ever admitting that.

His eyes remained closed while his lower lip protruded in a sulky pout. Breathing a sigh of relief, she tried to free herself from his embrace without waking him up.

Ren's hand, the one that was previously in her hair, now hung limply across her shoulder and neck. Kyoko slid herself backwards until her back touched the wall behind her and began to crawl towards the foot of the bed.

Her feet touched the floor and she eased herself off the bed to make her way towards her own bed when she heard movement behind her. She froze and turned around; thinking she had been caught attempting to escape. Ren's arms reached out and clutched at the now empty space on the bed.

Was he having another nightmare? Kyoko considered whether or not she should return to the bed when a strained sound came from his lips. It sounded like a whimper but she couldn't be sure. She walked closer to where he lay to get a better look as he continued to grasp at nothing but the empty sheets. His face was contorted into a grimace of pain and sadness. He looked as if he were about to start crying.

"Don't go. Please." she heard him whisper. He sounded scared.

Her desire to have a small, private emotional meltdown would have to wait. It was obvious he needed someone. And she was the only one around. She climbed back into bed beside him and nestled her back against his chest as he wrapped his arms around her once more. She felt his breathing slow down and knew he was sleeping peacefully.

She concentrated on the feel of the rhythmic rise and fall of his chest against her back to calm her own racing heart. Her eyelids slowly began to close as she was lulled back to sleep.

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 **AN: So, yeah, that's it for now. We'll see how this plays out!**


	2. Heaven Help Me

**oh we're doing this again? okay. we're off to a great start publishing the second chapter with html tags all over it. good job, author. anyway, on to the story.**

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Setsu leaned against what appeared to be a storage crate for a set piece with her arms folded and her head cocked slightly to the left looking indifferent, almost bored, as she watched her brother repeat the same scene for the fifth time because the actress, whose character his was scripted to pursue, was acting a bit too terrified each time he approached her with his menacing glower. Her horrified shrieks resembled the squeal of air as it's released from the stretched neck of a balloon and it was grating on everyone's nerves.

Inside Setsu's skin, Kyoto was having an internal meltdown as she revisited the events from this morning. Were she not currently portraying the laid-back brother-obsessed sister of Cain Heel, she'd be standing in a corner repeatedly banging her head against the wall while muttering darkly to herself. Her sense of propriety was telling her that this was not something she could allow to happen again. But her demons, treacherous beings that they were, chanted mockingly to her about how much she enjoyed it.

She really _did_ enjoy it. The feel of it was so sublime that, despite all the other negative thoughts that were currently assaulting her mind, she yearned to experience it again. That fact made her both angry and terrified. Angry that her defenses were disintegrating against the brute force of love despite her fervent efforts to prevent it. And terrified as to what would befall her when anyone, especially Ren, finds out. Kyoko mentally wrote her last will and testament and hoped that Kanae would say some nice things about her in her eulogy.

The intensity Kyoko's inner struggle manifested itself physically through Setsu as she slowly raised a hand and touched her lips. She dragged a single, perfectly manicured nail across her bottom lip as a small frown formed on her face and she stared off into the distance.

"Care to share whatever thought has marred that adorable face of yours?", a deep, husky voice rumbled next to her.

Setsu popped out of her reverie as she looked up at her brother and smiled languidly.

"Are you finished with the scene or do I have to listen to those godawful squeals again?", she asked, trying her best to change the subject.

"For now, it seems like we're finally done for the day. I suppose I was mistaken in assuming that we were working with professionals. If I ever get the urge to accept a role in a Japanese film again, I want you to lock me in a room and throw away the key.", he joked as a lopsided grin formed on his face.

"Only if I can lock myself in with you, dearest brother.", Setsu giggled as she reached up to brush the hair out of Cain's face so she could see him better. Kyoko sighed inwardly; relieved that she had managed to divert his attention from her slip-up.

"So what were you thinking about just now?", he prodded. Kyoko cursed her luck and quickly came up with a convincing lie.

"I realized I left my favorite lip gloss in our room and most of what I put on this morning was gone after we ate lunch.", she replied, armed with her cutest pout.

While Cain readily believed his sister, Ren was not as easily swayed. Her distant stare had a hint of fear in them that seemed more akin to Kyoko than Setsu. But he didn't want to push her so he resolved to keep an eye on he behavior for the rest of the day to see if he could catch any clues.

"How about we stop on the way back to the hotel and we'll get you a lip gloss for the pocket of every outfit you have here? I'll even keep one for you if you want.", he suggested as Setsu shook her head and rolled her eyes at her brother's response.

"Don't even think about it. I am not letting you waste your money on multiples of something I already own. It's my own fault that I left it in the bathroom.", Setsu scolded.

"But you looked so upset that you forgot it. Is it a crime to want to keep my sister happy?" Cain's hand went up to cup the side of his sister's face; his thumb lazily rubbing her cheek. Setsu leaned into his hand and breathed in his scent; he smelled of makeup, latex and cigarette smoke. She smiled.

"If you want to keep me happy, you'll eat everything I feed you at mealtimes, finish filming this movie quickly, and stay away from that awful rodent girl. You don't need to buy me more lip gloss.", she said flatly as she counted off her requests on her fingers. Cain laughed and playfully tousled her hair while she tried to bat his hand away.

"I can guarantee you at least two out of the three. Is that a fair enough deal, dear sister?"

"Only if you don't try to sneak tubes of lipgloss into my pockets.", she punctuated her sentence by poking his shoulder.

"Well, there goes _that_ idea…", she rolled her eyes at him again, grabbed his hand and began pulling him away from the set so they could leave.

"Come on. Let's go so we can pick up some dinner on the way back to the hotel." she called behind her as she continued to lead him down the corridor.

There was a brief respite for Kyoto from her anguish as Setsu took over to interact with her brother and things had finally quieted down in her mind. Setsu and Cain were able enjoy another meal together as Kyoko did her best to quell any anxiety about the night's sleeping arrangements. If she was lucky, she'd be sleeping in her own bed tonight.

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 **here's hoping I didn't screw up the formatting... again. *sigh***


	3. Like the Next Will Never Come

**Guess who's back with a new chapter? Yea I don't believe it either.**

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Despite Kyoko trying every trick at her disposal to postpone bedtime that night through Setsu, she realized that she ultimately forced herself to spend more time in close quarters with Ren. What she really needed was to gain some space to get her head together and slow down the pounding of her heart as it threatened to beat its way out of her chest.

They walked extra slowly back to the hotel after dinner; hand-in-hand like lovers as she stopped periodically to point and comment on something she saw in a store window. When they arrived, she suggested they curl up together and watch some TV before taking a shower and going to sleep. Setsu explained that they could find a random show and make fun of it until it was no longer amusing and change the channel. Cain played along with his arms wrapped around his sister as they sat on the couch and rested his head on her shoulder. When she felt his breathing slow down, she turned to see his eyelids drooping as the dead weight of his head sagged into her.

She pressed her index finger to the tip of his nose and bent her head towards his to wake him.

"Nii-san, I forbid you to go to sleep without showering. Get up this instant.", she wiggled his nose back and forth with her finger as she spoke softly into his ear.

"Just drag me to the tub and bathe me yourself.", half of his sentence was muffled as he buried his face in the crook of her neck.

"If you don't get up right now and go shower, I'll make you eat a double serving at breakfast.", she purred sweetly.

With his head still planted against her neck, Cain raised both of his arms in the air in surrender. Setsu's body shook with laughter and she spied a smile on her brother's face peeking through his long hair.

"You win.", he pulled himself away from her and grinned.

"Good. Now get going!", she said as she placed both of her feet against his thigh, braced her arms against the couch and attempted to push him off of it.

Cain chuckled at her futile efforts before hauling himself up and heading towards the bathroom. He closed the door softly behind him with a muted click.

Kyoko let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding in as she took the opportunity to break character while they were separated. Instantly, her face felt hot and her whole body trembled as the belated effects of spending so much time in close proximity of Ren were manifested physically. Her heart thrashed like a caged feral animal trying to get free and she clutched at her chest while trying to collect her thoughts.

 _Get a grip.,_ she scolded her self internally. _Just count backwards from 20 and try to calm down._

 _… actually, how about counting backwards from 100. This might take some time._

As she counted, she could still feel his arms around her and smell his scent lingering on her clothes. Kyoto squeezed her eyes shut and took measured breaths as her mind scrambled to focus on something else before she was overcome by her own feelings. She thought about work and what her schedule was for the next week. Then she thought about Kanae and their plan to meet up for ice cream soon and smiled. Once she had reached 35 in her countdown, she finally felt a calm slowly develop within her. Kyoko finished counting and opened her eyes just as she heard the water in the bathroom shut off.

She regained her character and calmly adjusted herself on the couch into a more casual position and stared blankly at the television as she waited for the bathroom door to open.

A tiny squeak emitted from the door's hinge as it opened fully and Cain stepped out of the bathroom. Setsu looked nonchalantly over her shoulder as her brother re-entered the room before reaching for the remote to turn off the TV.

"You're still watching that?", he asked as he lazily ran a towel through his hair.

"Not really. It got boring once you left but I didn't feel like changing the channel.", she turned off the TV and fluidly raised herself from the couch to walk towards the bathroom.

"Maybe next time you'll come in with me and I can keep you entertained.", he tried to hide his smirk behind the towel as he continued to dry his hair.

"And watch you make those creepy bubble dolls? No thanks.", she said as she walked past him, waving her hand dismissively over her shoulder; not once making eye contact.

Setsu stopped at the dresser and swiftly bent down to pull out some clothes before continuing on her way to the bathroom. She stepped into the bathroom and peeked her head back out the door. She caught her brother's eye and stuck her tongue out at him before shutting the door quickly behind her.

Once inside the bathroom, she set down her clothes before bracing both arms against the sink and shaking her head rapidly. Kyoko quietly cursed both Cain and Ren for such ludicrous suggestions. How dare he wreak havoc with her emotions after she just got them back under control? At least she had some time alone in the shower to reign herself back in.

By the time she got out, the entire room was dark and Cain was already in his bed. Setsu was climbing into her own bed and getting settled herself under the blankets when she heard a loud, overdramatic sigh.

"What is it now?", she asked flatly turning towards her brother.

"How am I supposed to get a good night's sleep when my adorable sister is _so far away_?", she could almost hear the pout in his voice.

"And how am _I_ supposed to get a good night's sleep when I'm trapped between the wall and your knees like last night?", she countered, Kyoko prayed he would feel repentant and let her sleep on her own bed.

"I'll take the side near the wall and you can have as much room on the bed as you want. I promise.", he bargained.

There was a pause as Kyoko tried to come up with a response. She was not prepared to spend another night next to him.

"Please?", he added in a long, pitiful whine and her resolve broke.

"Oh, alright.", she said with a huff as she got out of her bed and crawled into his.

Cain scooted backwards and pushed his back up against the wall as he lifted the covers for his Sister. Once she was settled, he wrapped her into a hug and rested his chin on top of her head.

"You're lucky you're so cute.", she said defiantly as he hugged her.

"Nah, I'm just lucky you love me.", her breath caught as he said those words and it took all the strength she could muster to not look up at him at that moment.

As she fought to contain the rapid beating of her heart from being exposed, Ren had fallen into a deep sleep beside her. She felt his breath across the top of her head and his arm resting limply on her side. He still smelled fresh from the shower; the soap and shampoo mixing in with his own unique scent. It felt like it got stronger the longer she breathed it in. She began to feel intoxicated and turned her face upwards to get some fresh air.

His face was inches away from hers; of this she was keenly aware despite the lack of light in the room. This was the exact position she did not want to be in again. And yet, Ren's closeness and the heady scent that emanated from him filled her with longing as she remembered the feel of his lips moving softly against hers.

Before she realized what she was doing, she closed the distance between them and timidly pressed her lips to his. Maybe a quick kiss would quell the ache she felt in her chest so she could go to sleep. From the moment they made contact, Kyoko found it impossible to tear herself away as her mouth began to move with a mind of its own trying to mimic the way he had kissed her the night before. She was a complete novice, after all, so it was somewhat sloppy at best.

She was trying to knead his lower lip between hers when she felt Ren's arms tighten around her and a low groan came from his mouth. He responded instantly and suddenly took control of the kiss as he bore down against her lips. Kyoko squeaked into the kiss and surrendered to his will. She felt the tip of his tongue as if it were pleading for entrance and timidly responded with her own; Ren moaned softly at this. The sound brought Kyoko back to her senses and she abruptly broke the kiss.

Kyoko pulled her head back with a soft gasp, thankful that the pitch black room hid the blush that felt like it covered her from head to toe. She couldn't believe she had let herself get carried away again. She turned her head away in embarrassment.

"No.", she whispered into the dark with a shaky breath.

His arms were still wrapped tightly around her and she had no easy means of escape. As it was already late, and she was quite tired, she slowly turned her head back towards Ren's body and buried her face against his chest as she fought back angry tears.

"Not again. Never again.", her muffled whisper disappeared into his shirt.

Her breaths finally began to slow and she fell asleep. However, Kyoko was completely unaware that, from the time he responded to her kiss, Ren was actually awake.

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 **Oh, there's a cliffhanger this time! Sorry, not sorry... okay maybe a little sorry. At least this chapter's longer than the others. Here's hoping there's a shorter break between new chapters from here on out. This is my catharsis when the manga chapters become woefully unfulfilling in terms of plot development. These two are so adorably clueless it's fun to write with them.**


	4. What Would an Angel Say?

**FROM YOUR DUTIFUL AUTHOR: So I guess I'm back by popular demand. All of you are so jazzed about this story, I can't believe it! It took me a while (and several re-writes) to craft this chapter. I hope it's not sorely disappointing. I can try to be faster with the updates, but no promises as life and work tend to get in the way more often than not. Anyhow, on with the story!**

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A shrill sound pierced the silence of the hotel room as the alarm on Kyoko's phone sprang to life. She quickly grabbed at the offending device from the table that sat between the two beds and turned off the alarm. Groggily looking around the room, her mind worked slowly to process its surroundings. When the bed gently rocked and she felt someone moving behind her, everything slammed into place.

They had shared a bed. Again. They had kissed. Again.

 _That plan to sleep in your own bed last night sure worked out great_ , Kyoko _!,_ her inner voices were dripping with sarcasm this morning.

Kyoko edged herself out of the bed as carefully as she could. If Ren hadn't woken up after her alarm, she could leave him to sleep a little longer while she got dressed and collected her thoughts.

Easing herself into character as she dressed in the outfit she had chosen for the day, Kyoko allowed Setsu gradually more control over her body with each piece of clothing she put on. Once dressed, she strode over to the kitchenette in the room and opened the fridge to start making breakfast for her brother and herself.

As Setsu set about preparing their meal, Kyoko had retreated internally to the far corners of her mind so she could think long and hard about her dilemma. As of the end of today's shoot, the Heel siblings would be on a break for a week and Kyoko could no longer hide behind the mask of Cain Heel's adoring little sister. It would just be her and Ren. Hiding her guilt from him would be near impossible. He had this eerie way of always knowing when something was bothering her when he saw her; even though it had been a while since they spent time together as just themselves. Ren had actually been quite busy outside of filming Tragic Marker.

That thought gave Kyoko the hope she needed to ease her mind. If Ren was so busy with other work, they'd have no time to see each other until next week. All she had to do was maintain a convincing enough façade until they left Jelly's trailer tonight and she would be free to avoid Ren and all the confusing emotions his presence created. Kyoko said a silent prayer to whatever gods were looking after her. Maybe she could do this after all.

Setsu was slicing up the last of the fruit as Kyoko's spirit finally settled calmly within her when she felt a familiar weight press down on her left shoulder. Without turning her head, she looked over and saw her brother, his chin resting lightly on her shoulder, looking curiously at the cutting board and bowls spread out around it.

"Who's going to eat all that?", he asked with a soft yawn.

"Good morning to you too.", Setsu rolled her eyes and resumed cutting the strawberry in front of her. "Are you going to get dressed so we can leave for the studio right after breakfast?"

"Are you going to force me to eat more food if I don't?", Cain snaked his arms around her waist and wrapped her in a hug. "I'll just eat slowly and make us even later."

"You're brave to be making threats this close to me while I'm holding a sharp instrument.", Setsu put down the knife and placed the strawberry pieces into one of the bowls.

"I'd have you disarmed faster than you could blink and you know it.", he grinned playfully as he pulled back his arms slightly to tickle her sides.

"OH!", she yelped as she jumped at his touch and batted his hands away. "At least you waited until after I put the knife down to do that."

"I could never forgive myself if my beloved sister got hurt.", he said between chuckles; his eyes sparkled with mirth.

Setsu turned fully to face him and placed one fisted hand on her hip. She narrowed her eyes at him with an accusatory look. Cain's shoulders were still slightly shaking as he hid his smile behind the back of his hand. Suddenly, her face softened and she turned on her cutest sad, pouting face.

"Nii-san!", she stretched the word into a long whine. "The sooner you finish filming this movie, the sooner I can have you all to myself again. Please... just go get dressed."

Cain abruptly stopped laughing and stared into the pleading eyes of his sister as his hand dropped from his mouth to touch her cheek. He ran his thumb softly over her cheekbone and smiled at her.

"Anything for you.", his voice took on a deep rumble and he gazed at her with adoring eyes.

Setsu grinned wickedly in triumph and let out a pleased giggle. She turned back towards the counter and resumed her breakfast preparations while Cain headed to the bathroom. Even though Setsu _did_ need to finish making breakfast, Kyoko also needed a moment to fight the blush that steadily crept up her neck and into her cheeks.

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Ren stood in the bathroom wishing he knew what he was supposed to be doing as his composure rapidly crumbled. He quickly closed the lid on the toilet, sat down and scrubbed his trembling hands through his hair. It was not uncommon for Kyoko's presence to create a whirlwind of emotions but today felt like the ravages of a hurricane. When Kyoko's alarm went off this morning, it took every ounce of his remaining control to not drag her back onto the bed and remind himself that last night was not just a dream.

She _had_ kissed him. There was no prompt, no assignment, no character building exercise behind this; of that he was sure. But what exactly had caused her to do it, he was hesitant to assume. Her reaction afterwards, and the harshly whispered self-admonitions that followed, gave him pause. Kyoko's aversion to love was nothing new, after all; she was the number one member of Love Me for a reason. However, she was apparently experiencing feelings of some sort and she was fighting tooth and nail against them.

Ren sighed as he lowered his head and clasped his hands behind his neck.

He was wary to harbor any hope that he could turn this latest development in his favor but the small flame, once ignited, was too stubborn to be extinguished. He was in too deep and would either see it through to the end or burn in the process.

What would he have to do to get her to accept her own feelings, much less his? Kyoko clearly had not lost the ability to love as she liked to claim. Instead, she lost the ability to accept love. And, who could blame her? Fuwa and her mother had both set such terrible examples that she could not feel worthy of being loved. The two people, whose love she craved most, let her down.

Ren smiled painfully at the irony. Neither one of them wanted to fall in love and yet, here they were; in love with each other and fighting desperately to ignore it. All the while being repeatedly pushed together by outside forces.

Should they even try this? They were both emotionally damaged individuals, especially Kyoko. But, as Ren realized, he wanted her to be happy. He always had. Even when he was just a childhood acquaintance masquerading as a fairy prince. She deserved to be and he would do whatever was in his power to make that happen.

However, right now, Setsu needed her big brother to eat breakfast so they can head to the studio. And anything Setsu wants, Setsu gets. Ren stood up and made his way over to where his clothes sat in the bathroom and began to get changed. After tonight, they would not have an opportunity to see each other for a week. He hoped his meddlesome manager might be able to create one… or else he would do it himself.

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 **MY (OTHER) TWO CENTS:**

 **Apologies if you were looking for more hot smooching action in this chapter as well. I figured both of the characters needed some contemplation time before we could progress any further because even I was beginning to question my own motives.**

 **I'm honestly not looking forward to writing their interactions outside of Cain and Setsu. The way they greet each other is so formal and, with only a basic understanding of the Japanese language, I feel uncomfortable with using "Tsuruga-san" and "Mogami-san". But making Ren say "Miss Mogami" weirds me out even more. It just doesn't roll of the tongue very well. Now you all know my deep, dark secret; I have anxieties about how names sound and an inferiority complex about my minimal knowledge of Japanese. You should see how I cringe every time I have to write "nii-san". There, I just did it again.**

 **Anyhow, thank you, everyone for your support. I hope to see you for the next chapter!**


	5. Let Me Know the Way

**Doing like Bob Ross and putting a happy (not so)little chapter over here. As always, I hope you like it. Thanks everyone for the reviews, follows and favorites!**

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Surprisingly enough, filming ended early that evening. Kyoko had anticipated having to rush to TBM directly from Jelly's trailer. At least, that was her hope. Being in a hurry meant less time to converse with Ren which also meant she could keep herself from slipping up in front of him for just a little longer. Unfortunately, the odds were not in her favor today. She was now two hours ahead of schedule and desperately trying to find a way to get away from the man who was currently holding her affections in a vice grip as he smiled softly at her across the trailer while Jelly fussed over his hair and face.

Kyoko timidly returned the smile and promptly began digging around in her bag and pulled out her planner. She scanned the pages with a stern look, grabbed the pen she had clipped to the cover and wrote a couple short notes here and there. None of it was important as the pages were fairly sparse with appointments but she needed something else to look at besides Ren. She could still feel his gaze on her; it made her shift awkwardly in her seat and her heart squeeze uncomfortably. If Jelly did not habitually keep her trailer's air conditioning so cold, Kyoko was sure she would start visibly sweating. Damn her good manners for keeping her from leaving the trailer before her senior. Had she been in a hurry to leave, she could have bowed out gracefully with the explanation that she was needed elsewhere.

"Do you have anywhere you need to be after this, Mogami-san?", Kyoko broke out of her reverie to glance up at Ren's questioning look.

"Oh! Uh, not until 8 actually. I thought I would be cutting it pretty close tonight but, thanks to you, I'm early.", she pasted on a smile while cursing herself inwardly for answering truthfully.

"It's thanks to you that we got started on time. I'm supposed to meet up with Yashiro at 8:30 so we both would have been in a rush.", Ren's smile seemed to triple in brightness as he spoke and it took a considerable amount of effort to not wince in pain as it assaulted her senses.

"Well, that's what I'm here for…", she laughed nervously and looked back down at her planner.

"Were you planning to get something to eat on your way to your next appointment?", Kyoko looked back up at Ren; shock clearly written across her face. Was he seriously asking her about eating food?

"I figured I'd be in a hurry so I did not think I would get a chance to…", she trailed off. "Why do you ask, Tsuruga-san?"

"Would-", Ren cleared is throat and started again. "Would you like to grab some dinner with me before we go our separate ways?"

He wondered when he started to get so awkward around Kyoko. Normally, he could talk to her smoothly without hesitation. His mouth felt dry and his words unsure. He needed to work on that.

Hesitating with her answer, Kyoko's mind raced as she tried to plot her next move. On one hand, she really needed to get as far away from this man as possible before. On the other, she felt a sense of duty because she was well aware of his eating habits when she wasn't around. All of her best laid plans to avoid Ren, thus far, had been consistently derailed each time. Apparently, this was not to be an exception. She sighed internally and forced down her feelings as far as they would go.

 _Don't you dare blush, Kyoko. Don't you even dare_ , she mentally chastised herself.

"Are you sure it won't be too much trouble? I know it's rare for you to have spare time so if you just want to relax—", Ren held up a hand and stopped her mid-sentence.

"If it was a problem, Mogami-san,I would not have asked. It is not going to be anything fancy. You know I usually prefer something quick and simple anyway.", He didn't want her to feel like he was asking her on a date.

In actuality, he _was_ but the lavish dinners could come later. As always, with Kyoko, he had to take things slowly. Ren felt it was like hunting an overly cautious prey and, honestly, it made him feel a little creepy.

She heard the words 'quick and simple', her expression darkened and she glared at Ren before responding.

"Quick and simple does _not_ mean you're getting away with convenience store onigiri, Tsuruga-san.", Kyoko lectured.

"Mogami-san, you wound me, I would never entertain the idea of asking someone to join me for dinner only to take them to a convenience store.", he feigned offense in a somewhat dramatic fashion, with one hand placed on his chest as if he were in shock.

"One never knows with you.", she grumbled, crossing her arms and looking askance.

He let out a small chuckle and waved a hand dismissively at Kyoko.

"Then allow me to prove you wrong. Come on, Mogami-san, let's leave Miss Woods so she does not have to listen to us banter for the rest of the the evening.", Ren said with a laugh, getting up from his chair.

Kyoko, suddenly embarrassed, jumped up from her seat and mumbled a quick apology before saying her goodbyes and thanks with a bow. Ren followed suit and bid Jelly farewell until next week. The two of them exited the trailer, leaving behind a speechless Jelly Woods, who stared, dumbfounded, at the door through which they left. The exchange between those two made her feel like an intruder in their space; as if they carried on in a world all their own. Without looking away, she slowly reached for her phone, which she left laying on her work table, to make a call. A familiar voice answered and she grinned into the phone.

"Darling, you won't believe what just happened…"

Kyoko sat uneasily in the passenger's seat of Ren's car as they drove along. He asked her where she needed to be later that night so that they could pick a place nearby where she wouldn't have to walk too far afterwards to get to her next job. She told him she was going to TBM studios for LoveMe work and prayed that he wouldn't ask any further questions that would betray her identity as Bo.

"So, do you know the chicken?", Ren didn't notice when her face slightly paled at his question.

"The… chicken?", she played ignorant.

"Yea, you can't miss him. Giant chicken mascot suit? Goes by the name of Bo?", he explained further.

"Oh! I think I've seen him occasionally.", she lied.

"But you don't know him?"

"Well, I always see the costume and I thought mascots were not allowed to speak so I've never really tried to talk with him, I suppose.", she felt a little sick from lying through her teeth like this.

"Hm.", he said nothing more as he pulled his car into a parking spot.

They ended up at a small ramen shop about a block from TBM that Kyoko had never noticed before. The entrance was nondescript and only a small, hand-written sign out front identified the place for what it was. A savory, rich aroma greeted her nose when they went inside that Kyoko could only describe it as 'heavenly.' It was dimly lit and mostly empty with only a couple occupied tables, a fairly uncommon sight for this time of the evening, and she wondered if this was where high-profile celebrities like Ren went to eat without being recognized.

"It is.", he said simply.

Kyoko gaped at him. Had she said that thought out loud? She was fairly certain she hadn't but supposed her awe at their surroundings may have caused her to not notice.

"M-mind reader?", was all she could blurt out as she continued to stare at him.

"No, it was written all over your face when we walked in.", he said with a lopsided grin. "But, yes, this place is a well-kept secret in the industry, of sorts, as a place you can go unnoticed when you're hungry."

Kyoko was visibly impressed as they placed their orders at the counter near the entrance and then sat at a corner table towards the back. Then, she felt a little saddened when she realized that she wasn't yet famous enough to know about this place already. She knew it wouldn't happen overnight, but places like this were uncomfortable reminders that she still had a long way to go.

"I'm sure you would find out about it once got closer to your debut, but I figured it couldn't hurt to let you in on the secret a little early.", he leaned towards her and spoke in a conspiratorial whisper.

She realized her emotions were probably showing on her face again and did her best to put them away. Instead, she thought about how nice it was of Ren to bring her here. Not only was it a place that was special, it fit all the requirements of their dining agreement; nothing fancy and fairly quick but good food. The anonymity factor was an added bonus. Kyoko could not have picked a better location if she tried. But something was still nagging at the back of her mind.

"Why did you ask me to come with you, Tsuruga-san? I'm sure you could have come here with Yashiro-san or a friend.", she thought it odd that he would ask her to accompany him at all.

"But I _am_ here with a friend.", Ren looked at her plainly.

"Oh? When are they coming? Should I leave before they arrive?", Kyoko looked towards the door to see if anyone else had come in.

"Mogami-san, it's you.", he deadpanned.

"… huh?", she wasn't sure she heard him correctly.

"You _are_ my friend, aren't you?", Ren looked hurt.

"I-I never wanted to assume that we were. You are my senior, after all. It would be too presumptuous.", Kyoko looked down at her folded hands in her lap and fought back a blush.

He tried to hold back a laugh and it came out as a snort. Kyoko snapped her head up and looked at him as if he had just kicked a kitten.

"My apologies, I should not have laughed.", he fought to regain a serious expression. "It is my fault for not making it clear"

"It's not your fault at all, Tsurug—", he cut her off by shaking his head.

"No, it is my fault. I will do this properly so that you understand."

Kyoko looked at him curiously as he sat up a little straighter, placed both hands on the table in front of him and looked her squarely in the eye.

"Mogami Kyoko, I would like for us to be friends.", he sounded like he was pitching a proposal in a business meeting.

"W-what kind of declaration is that?!", Kyoko screeched incredulously.

"Well, do you accept or do I need to go home and sulk about how you refused my friendship?", Ren maintained an even tone throughout.

"No! I mean, yes! I mean… no, don't go home and, yes, I would also like us to be friends.", she finally said, clearly flustered.

"Then it is settled. We are now friends.", he smiled easily and held out a hand for her to shake.

Kyoko awkwardly shook his hand and muttered something about 'con-man' under her breath which made Ren chuckle in response. Their food then arrived and they ate in companionable silence. When the time came to pay, Ren offered to cover Kyoko's meal but she stood firm and reasoned that even though she and Kanae were also friends, they still paid for their own food. He decided to let her have that victory — for now at least. Besides, he had one more request he was hoping she'd consider.

"So, our next order of business, now that we're friends, is I want you to consider calling each other by our first names."

"Are all of your requests going to sound this official… wait, what?", she faltered.

"You heard me… Kyoko.", he tested it out, liking the way it rolled off his tongue.

Kyoko cringed and turned beet red. Hearing him call her name so intimately caused her brain to short out. She felt feverish and disoriented and her heart began to beat wildly.

"You can't… I can't. We… CAN'T!", she panicked.

"Oh? Why not?, he folded his arms and raised an eyebrow at her.

"As my senior, you should be called with the respect you deserve. Addressing you any other way would be too familiar. It would be too much…", she floundered, losing her train of thought.

"Okay, okay.", he tried to calm her down. "I only said I'd like for you to consider it. I will leave it up to you and if, or when, you decide to do it, I will respond in kind. Until then, we will continue as we have been, alright?"

"If that is what you want," she took a deep breath and nodded as she continued. "I will think about it."

"That's all I asked for.", he sighed. "Now, let's get going or you will be late."

Kyoko looked at the clock on her phone and made an unintelligible noise when she saw the time. She gathered her things and they made their way out of the restaurant. Once they were outside, they turned towards each other to say goodbye but nothing came out and they just stared for what felt like an eternity. Kyoto broke first with a quick bow.

"I should get going but thank you for introducing me to this place. I guess I'll see you next week?", her voice felt abnormally high-pitched as if she were having a hard time breathing.

"You're very welcome. And, yes, if we don't run into each other before then, I'll see you next week.", Ren smiled softly and nodded.

"Right, have a good night Re—Tsuruga-san.", she tried but couldn't go through with saying his first name without blushing profusely.

"Don't force yourself. Maybe one day you'll get it. Goodnight, Mogami-san.", he replied with a quiet laugh.

And, with that, they turned away. Ren strolled back to his car while Kyoko made a dash for TBM. Each one trying to hide the wide smile that appeared, unbidden, across their faces.

* * *

 **Awww! Well, she tried! And look, everyone, I got over my fear of writing names with honorifics! Anyway, I have no idea if such a restaurant even exists but it's my (adopted) world and I do what I want. See you next chapter!**

 **Author OUT!**


	6. I Wanna Suffer for my Sins

**FROM YOUR FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD AUTHOR: It's ladies' day here in Chapter 6. Enjoy some quality Kyoko/Kanae time!**

* * *

The day she had been excitedly waiting for all week finally arrived and Kyoko was beside herself with joy. Today, she would get to spend the afternoon with her best friend. She worked through her various LoveMe tasks that morning with an, almost irritatingly, upbeat attitude and a smile so bright, a few of the office workers had to avert their eyes for fear of going blind.

The end of her workday approached and Kyoko skipped happily down the street towards the new fairy tail themed ice cream shop that had opened a couple months earlier. She begged Kanae repeatedly to go with her and, after numerous vehement refusals, her she finally broke down and, albeit begrudgingly, agreed. One could only deny Kyoko something she really wanted for so long before the wide eyes, pouty lips and sad whine collapsed anyone's resolve.

"MOKO-SAN!", she bellowed as she ran full tilt down the walkway towards Kanae, her arms spread open wide.

The entirety of her experiences with her siblings' children was still not enough to prepare Kanae for the sight of a grown woman hurtling down the sidewalk towards her. Throwing candy in the opposite direction as a distraction was not going to work this time. The best she could do was to cross her forearms in font of her to attempt to stop the incoming freight train of affection headed straight for her. She braced for impact as Kyoko's face collided with her arms with a resounding smack.

"Moko-san, why are you so mean? I just wanted to greet my best friend with a hug since I haven't seen her in a while.", Kyoko stood upright, her hands fell limply to her sides.

"Aspiring actresses should carry themselves in public with more decorum than running down sidewalks screaming people's names at the top of their lungs." Kanae lowered her arms, looking pointedly at the other girl.

"Sorry, Moko-san. I was really excited to see you today.", she said with a slight pout.

"I am happy to see you as well. Now, can we go inside? I think we've already created enough of a scene out here."

Kyoko looked around and realized a number of people were staring at them. She ducked her head and quickly hurried inside the shop with her friend following closely behind her. Once inside, her shame quickly dissipated at she stared, open-mouthed, at the shop's interior. The walls were a dusty pink and each window was framed with deep purple crushed velvet drapes. Gilded railings with rhinestone encrusted finials guided the line of customers to the main counter and a large crystal chandelier hung from the gold leaf ceiling; each teardrop-shaped crystal winking a rainbow of colors as they refracted the light. Kyoko almost pinched herself to see if she was dreaming when she heard her companion snort with derision.

"You'd think the President was in charge of decorating this place with how over-the-top it is."

"Oh, I think it's beautiful.", she said dreamily as she continued to stare at the decor.

"Well stop gawking and decide what you want. You're up next.", Kanae snapped.

They settled down at a small table towards the back with their purchases. Kanae chose a simple vanilla cone. Kyoko couldn't resist ordering one of their signature sundaes; an ornate affair with three flavors of ice cream and a veil of pale blue cotton candy cascading from the top that was studded intermittently with large, brightly colored sugar crystals. She decided this was probably the closest experience she would have to dining in the court of fairy royalty.

The two of them chatted back and forth about random things, which were mostly work-related, while they ate. Kyoko beamed the entire time and, when she finished her sundae, she let out a contented sigh.

"You're actually happy to have consumed that many calories in one sitting?"

"Oh, Moko-san.", she rolled her eyes and giggled. "I was just thinking how lucky I am to have friends who want to spend time with me."

"And who else are you are you hanging out with, besides me?", Kanae looked at her with mock accusation.

"Tsuruga-san took me to this super-secret ramen place near TBM the other night. Did you know, there's a restaurant that celebrities can go to without being recognized?"

"I think Hiou mentioned it to me once. But, what were you doing there with Tsuruga-san?", her friend asked, confused.

"He asked me to get dinner with him when we both got off work before I went to TBM for Yappa Kimagure Rock.", Kyoko explained.

"I… see."

"Then he told me he was there with a friend and I was really confused until he clarified that I am his friend."

"How did you not-", she was cut off as Kyoko kept rambling.

"He even asked me to call him by his first name. Not that I ever would…"

"Oh? And why wouldn't you?", Kanae waited a beat after she trailed off before responding.

"B-because he's my senior and a well-respected figure in the industry. It would be wrong.", Kyoko shifted uneasily in her seat as she spoke. The significance of that movement was not lost on her friend.

"He personally asked you to call him that, which means you have his explicit permission. Try another excuse, Kyoko. Now, what's _really_ going on?"

"Well… I just… can't.", she flopped her arms at her side in resignation.

"Kyoko, I'm not going to ask you again. Tell me what's wrong or we have no further business being friends.", Kyoko looked around the shop nervously.

"Not here, Moko-san… not like this", Kanae took the hint and abruptly stood up.

She grabbed her by the wrist and dragged her outside, walking briskly down the street. Stumbling behind her, Kyoko tried to regain her footing.

"Wait, where are we going?", she called out to her friend as she awkwardly tried to match her pace.

"There's a park about a block away from here. We can talk there."

Sure enough, a nearly empty park came into view. Kanae slowed her gait as they approached and went straight towards the jungle gym positioned at the far end. Grateful that she chose to wear pants, she climbed up to the top and motioned for Kyoko to do the same and sit beside her. Once they were both at the top and sitting, somewhat, comfortably, Kanae folded her hands in her lap and looked at the other girl expectantly.

Kyoko knew she couldn't share any of the details of the Heel Siblings with her friend and made a point to explain that there would be some holes in her story because it involved a project, the details of which she was unable to disclose. With a nod of understanding from Kanae, she faltered as she tried to figure out where to begin. Ultimately, she ended up just blurting it out.

"I think… I'm in love with him."

Kanae looked evenly at her and folded her arms. Then, she slowly closed her eyes and sigh escaped her lips before she spoke.

"And? I still don't see how this prevents you from calling him by his first name."

"Because, Moko-san. It feels too intimate. And the closer I get to him the harder it's going to be for me to not tell him how I feel.", Kyoko gripped her own arms tightly as she spoke.

"Why are you keeping this from him? If he's your friend, as he says he is, I doubt he would look down on you for falling in love with him. Hell, over half of Japan is head-over-heels for him and they don't even know him like you do."

"There's no way he could return my feelings. It would be pointless.", Kyoko shook her head.

Kanae knew for a fact this was a lie. She had seen the way he looked at her when he thought no one else was paying attention. One would think he stopped breathing when she wasn't around.

"How are you so sure?"

"He has someone else he likes. I heard it from him myself.", Kanae paused again after she said this.

"When did he tell you this?"

"Well he didn't tell me exactly…", she got quiet again.

"Kyoko.", Kanae glared at her. "Explain."

Taking a deep breath, Kyoko recounted the conversations she had with Ren while dressed in Bo's costume. She carefully outlined the situation making sure not to go into too much detail as she respected the confidentiality of what they talked about at those times. Kanae gaped at her, speechless, as her mind raced.

 _'Dear God, how are they both this stupid?,'_ she thought. ' _He's too stupid to tell her exactly how he feels and she's too stupid to figure it out. Okay, I can't call Kyoko stupid but no wonder he had to be so formal about establishing their friendship. She has missed EVERY single hint he's thrown at her.'_

"Moko-san?", Kyoko looked at her questioningly.

"So that's it, then? You're just going to hide behind that smiling Noh mask of yours and pretend like everything is fine?", Kanae made no attempt to hide her irritation.

"Well… that was the plan, yea."

"It's only going to get harder from here on out, Kyoko. Now that you're friends, each moment you have to spend around him is going to eat at you until it drives you crazy. You're not doing yourself any favors."

"I know it's not going to be easy. But, Moko-san, I can never tell him! I'll just have to deal with it."

"No."

"No?", Kyoko tilted her head to one side in confusion.

"No, you can't just 'deal with it,' Kyoko! You're his friend. You owe it to him, and yourself, to tell him the truth. Not everyone is going to force it out of you like I do when I notice you're acting strangely."

"But, Mo-"

"Just tell him already!", Kanae tried not to shout so they wouldn't be overheard but it was becoming increasingly difficult.

"I ca-"

"Yes. You _can._ Stop lying to yourself about this and just get it over with so you can move on."

"Move… on.", Kyoko mused.

"Is there an echo in here? Listen, didn't you feel better after telling me about you and that idiot, Fuwa, instead of continuing to hide it?"

Kyoko nodded slowly in response.

"This is the same concept. Whether Tsuruga-san accepts or rejects your feelings is on him. Either way, you can move forward with your own life instead of sticking yourself in this holding pattern and wallowing in your self-inflicted guilt because you're in love with someone who, supposedly, has feelings for someone else.", Kanae silently prayed that she would understand.

"O-okay."

"I mean it, Kyoko. I want you to think— really think — about this."

"I will, Moko-san. Thank you… I guess."

"You're welcome. Now, let's get going so you can subject me to more inane activities; like shopping.", Kyoko's eyes lit up at the prospect of shopping with her friend and she nodded vigorously.

The pair climbed down from the jungle gym and began their journey towards the shopping district. Kanae hoped her friend would take her words to heart and speak up. Kyoko and Ren both were guilty of sending each other so many mixed signals, they were the poster children for miscommunication. Maybe this might help set them straight.

* * *

 **ANOTHER CHAPTER BITES THE DUST! Was that good advice? When you're talking in terms of the most clueless couple of the decade, who even knows. Guess we'll have to see where this story takes us together. I wanted to have Kyoko divulge a little more information than she did for better plot exposition but realized she respects Ren, and his work, too much to tell Kanae everything. Oh well, I hope that was the right choice.**

 **AUTHOR OUT!**


	7. Don't Know Where I Can Begin

**AUTHOR GREETINGS: After about 4 re-writes, a sidetracked one-shot, and several sleepless nights worth of pondering, we finally have a new chapter! It's not a proper SB story without our favorite Shipper on Deck, Yashiro. Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

Yashiro Yukihito always assumed he knew Ren fairly well after all of their years working together. While he caught hints, here and there, that the actor may have had a bit of a wild past, to him, Ren was the consummate professional who faced every day with a 'can do' attitude and a well-practiced smile. It was that very smile that made him a force to be reckoned with both on and off camera. The speed with which he could put someone in their place while still appearing friendly and harmless never ceased to amaze.

Today, that smile was missing.

There was no frown, per se. Rather, in front of others, Ren managed to maintain a fairly neutral poker face and an even tone of voice. Most everyone around him believed he was feeling under the weather and politely left him alone as he retreated to his dressing room between takes. Yashiro knew better, however. During those breaks, Ren's face took on a wholly different expression; his brows furrowed, lips slightly pouted and eyes full of anguish. He studied Ren closely, his brain frantically scrambling to find a word to describe how he looked. It was almost as if he was…

"Brooding," he said aloud.

"I'm sorry, Yashiro-san —," Ren looked up from his script, clearly puzzled. "What did you just say?"

"I said you're brooding! Every time you come back here, the room feels like some sort of suffocating den of teenaged angst. What is with you today?"

"I don't know what to tell you," Ren sighed deeply and returned to reading his script.

Yashiro threw his hands up in frustration and turned away to continue pondering. There had to be some reason why he was acting like this. The realization hit him suddenly and a mischievous glint sparkled in his eye as he turned back towards Ren.

"This is about Kyoko-chan, isn't it?"

"I'm not having this conversation with you, Yashiro-san, so I suggest you give up now," Ren refused to look up and kept his eyes glued to the pages before him.

"I knew it," Yashiro squealed, knowing Ren would have corrected him if he guessed wrong.

"Please don't —," Ren started but Yashiro prattled on.

"You haven't seen her all week! Of course, you're in a bad mood," he mused, resting a hand on his chin.

"This really isn't —," Ren was cut off again.

"But you get to see her tonight again for Tragic Marker. Shouldn't you be happier?"

"Yashiro-san —," Ren tried again but he heard Yashiro gasp loudly.

"You're afraid to see her tonight," he said accusingly. "What did you do to her?"

"Since you would not let me get a word in edgewise during your wild deductions, Sherlock-san," Ren rolled his eyes. "I don't see why I should tell you."

Yashiro huffed and gave up. He knew there was no chance he would get anything else out of Ren. He would just have to watch them carefully when they met up with Jelly Woods tonight. Looking anxiously at his watch, he saw that there was only two more hours to go. He glanced over at Ren and saw him look at his own watch before sighing loudly once more and returning to his script.

A knock on the door broke the taut silence and Ren was summoned to film the last scene for the day. Grateful to get away from his manager's constant questioning, he rose from his seat and followed the assistant back to the set as the gentle sound of thunder rumbled in the distance.

* * *

Kyoko returned from taking Bo's costume to be cleaned. Tonight's post-show dinner invitation, courtesy of the Ishibashis, would have to be turned down. It was unfortunate, really; tonight she would be resuming her act as Setsu and she was dreading having to face Ren again. Almost anything else would be preferable to that and she wished with all her might for something to delay the inevitable.

She was still not yet ready to reveal the secrets of her heart to him. In all honesty, she was not sure if she ever would be, but she promised her best friend to properly consider her options. However, proper consideration would be a lot easier if the mere thought of talking to Ren didn't send her mind reeling and her heart rate skyrocketing. If anything, she wanted to get it out of the way so she could stop having panic attacks every time she thought about him. She may have believed she had lost her mind over a guy before but, this time, there was no doubt that she was going crazy.

After changing out of the clothes she drenched with sweat while in costume, Kyoko was nearly finished packing up her bag when she heard a knock on the door to her changing room. Outside her door stood Hikaru asking about her dinner plans. She politely declined to join everyone stating that she was going out of town tonight for another job. It was mostly true, even if it wasn't for a legitimate acting role. Cain and Setsu Heel would be meeting up with the rest of the Tragic Marker crew for a location shoot tomorrow morning. Hikaru warned her to be careful in the weather as it looked like it was going to rain at any minute.

The clock on the wall indicated that she needed to leave very soon to avoid keeping Jelly, and Ren, waiting. She hastily grabbed her bag and walked swiftly towards the exit. As soon as she stepped outside, a strong gust of wind blew the door shut and there was a brilliant flash of light followed by the deafening crack of thunder overhead. Kyoko jumped and her back hit the closed door behind her. She began to rummage through her bag to see if she had an umbrella when she noticed her phone was missing. It was still plugged in where she left it to charge during the show and she forgot to pack it when Hikaru interrupted her. Cursing her forgetfulness, she turned to go back inside.

No matter how hard she pulled on the handle, the front door would not budge. Kyoko forgot the main doors were programmed to automatically lock behind people after a certain time of night to prevent any intruders from getting in after-hours. She cupped her hands against the glass and peered inside to see if anyone was walking by to try and get their attention, but the front hall was woefully deserted.

Rain was falling in torrents now and heavy winds blew forceful splashes of it under the overhang near the front entrance where Kyoko was now sheltering. She curled herself up in a corner as far back as she could go and helplessly watched the storm rage. Trapped between severe weather and a locked door with no umbrella or phone, she closed her eyes and her head limply fell back and hit the wall behind her as she tried her best not to panic. Her only hope now was for someone to realize she was missing and come looking for her. She really needed to be careful when she wished for things.

* * *

It was over an hour past the time Ren and Kyoko were scheduled to meet at Jelly's trailer. Yashiro watched Ren fidget uneasily as he stared at the tempest swirling just outside the parking garage. Even Jelly sat on the step of her trailer to watch the rain fall. The same thought was on everyone's minds.

"She should have been here by now or she would have called," Ren said, continuing to stare outside. "I should go look for her."

"Ren, you can't go out in this weather," Yashiro cautioned. "It's too dangerous."

"That is exactly _why_ I need to go," he said, desperation lacing his voice. "She could be stuck somewhere and she's not answering her phone. Each time I try to call her, it goes to voicemail."

"We don't even know where she's supposed to be right now," Yashiro reasoned.

"Then call Sawara and find out," Ren nearly barked it out like an order.

Stunned, Yashiro prepared a gloved and and quickly dialed Sawara. After a brief conversation and profuse apologies for interrupting his night, he hung up. Ren looked at him anxiously.

"He said her job at TBM should have been her last one for the night," Yashiro said finally as he placed his phone back in his pocket.

"Then I suppose that's where I'm headed," he began to turn towards where he parked his car.

"Ren, you really should think about —," Yashiro began.

"This is not up for discussion," Ren interrupted. "Please wait here and I'll call you once I've found her."

"Hey kid, you'll probably need one of these for Kyoko-chan," Jelly suddenly appeared beside him with an umbrella in her outstretched hand.

"Thank you Woods-san."

"Just be careful and bring her back safely," she commanded.

Ren nodded, turned abruptly and jogged back to his car. He slowly pulled out of the garage and his visibility was nearly non-existent as the windshield wipers tried desperately to keep the rain at bay long enough to see the road. What would normally have been a ten minute drive, felt like an eternity as he slowly maneuvered his tiny car through the downpour. At least focusing his attention on the road prevented his over-active imagination from concocting any number of horrific scenarios in which he could potentially find Kyoko. Fear and worry ached in his gut and he clenched his teeth as he drove.

When he finally arrived at the TBM building, he made sure to park on the side that was shielded from the wind to make the journey back to the car a little less treacherous. Grabbing Jelly's umbrella from where he tossed it on the passenger seat, he hopped out of the car and dashed towards the main entrance.

* * *

Something in the back of Kyoko's mind told her to look up from her huddled position. She did so just in time to see the blurred outline of a tall figure run past. Instantaneously, she knew who it was; she could recognize that silhouette anywhere. They stopped, and seemed to be looking around quickly before turning back. She realized that, between the rain, the night's darkness and the lack of bright lighting around the entrance, it was probably impossible to see where she was sitting. Her brain short-circuited from shock and fright as she fumbled to stand up and get his attention quickly before he ran off. Kyoko lurched forward, opened her mouth and shouted the first thing that came to mind.

His clothes were almost completely soaked through as he scanned the entryway for any sign of Kyoko but it was too dark to see anything clearly. He turned around and started moving towards the side entrance when he heard a familiar voice calling out; despite the roar of the wind and rain, he heard it clear as day.

"REN!"

* * *

 **EVEN MORE USELESS CHATTER: Well, I went and ended on a cliffhanger... again. I wasn't originally planning to, but it felt like a really good stopping point before we moved on to the denouement. I'll be back with another chapter after Labor Day weekend (that's Sept 3 - 5 for you non-Americans) once I've fully recovered from spending 4 days at a con. See you then!**

 **Author out!**


	8. I've Got to Make a Play

**THE AUTHOR DID NOT DIE: So sorry for the delay, everyone. I spent a week recovering from con (which was AMAZING by the way) and another week trying to get my act together again to finish up this story. I have a skeleton of it written down in a haphazard list of bullet points. Because of this, it looked like I'd be ending the story soon, but there's a few more things I need to cover to end it properly. So, this isn't quite the end, but we're well on our way there! Thanks for all the love through your reviews and awesome comments. On to the story!**

* * *

Ren appeared at her side almost immediately, it seemed. Kyoko knew he had long legs but he never ceased to amaze her with how quickly he could move on them. He bent over slightly to look at her, his dark hair wet, matted and dripping into his face. She could tell he was trying to catch his breath from running frantically through the rain as his chest rose and fell at a quicker rate than normal.

"Are you alright?" she asked timidly. He cocked his head to one side and quirked an eyebrow at her.

"Shouldn't I be asking _you_ that?" He stared at her in disbelief. "We were all worried when you were late; especially with this weather."

"I'm sorry," she spluttered, fidgeting with the bag on her shoulder. "The door — and then lightning — and my phone…"

"Okay, first," his voice took on a soothing tone. "Take a breath, calm down and then tell me what happened."

Kyoko inhaled deeply and shut her eyes before continuing. She explained that her phone was left behind in the building and how she was, subsequently, locked out of it.

"Alright," he reached into his pocket for his phone. "Then, the first step is to get your phone back."

She wrung her hands as he called Yashiro to let him know that she had been found — and was safe — and to ask him to get in contact with TBM's night security to unlock the front door so they could retrieve her phone. While he spoke, she worried at her lower lip and tried to think of the best way to stop him from going inside with her. Kyoko knew she would have a lot to explain should he accompany her and she was not yet prepared to have the conversation about Bo's identity. Eyeing his wet dress shirt, she formulated a plan for when he hung up.

"Yashiro-san should be making a call now to have someone let us inside so you can get your phone." Ren looked at her with a small smile.

"Thank you, Tsuruga-san," she said quietly.

"What happened to you calling me 'Ren' like you did a little while ago?" He looked at her with mischief in his eyes.

Kyoko fought back an intense blush as she looked away from him.

"I-I didn't," she protested. "It was the only thing I could think of to get your attention quickly, that's all!"

"Relax, Mogami-san, I was only teasing you." His eyes softened as he looked at her. "But, it did make me very ha—"

They were interrupted by the sound of the door unlocking behind them. A security guard poked his head out and confirmed that they were the ones requesting to get inside. Kyoko quickly wormed her way past Ren towards the door. She turned and looked up at him with the most innocent face she could muster.

"Tsuruga-san, you should wait here," she hurried to explain while he was still taken aback. "The air conditioning inside is usually quite cold and I don't want you getting sick with those wet clothes. I promise, I'll be back in just a few minutes."

He opened his mouth to protest but she stopped him with a raised hand.

"The security guard will want to escort me anyway so there's no need to worry." She pleaded. "Just, please, wait here until I return."

Ren was bewildered as he watched her hurry inside with the guard in tow. There was a look of nervous desperation in her eyes as she told him to wait but he was certain it was not entirely because she was concerned about his health. He was willing to guess that there was something in that studio she did not want him to see or know about. It never seemed odd that she always was very vague about what exactly she did at TBM; he had always dismissed it as being a menial LoveMe task.

Now, he was genuinely curious as to the shroud of mystery behind her job. He wondered if it it was similar to her role as Setsuka Heel, where the details of which were to remain confidential. Scoffing at the idea, he tried to think of other possibilities. There was no way the President would assign her to another role like that with anyone else but him. Wasn't that whole thing set up by the President so he would be tormented by Kyoko's presence? That last thought made him feel uncomfortably self-centered. After all, she _is_ very talented and not everything has to do with him. Either way, all of this speculation was getting him nowhere. He had no other choice than to ask her directly.

The door opened once more, rousing him from his thoughts. He watched Kyoko thank the security guard with a bow before turning towards him, one hand brandishing her phone and the other carefully tucking the charging cable into the pocket of her bag.

"See?" she said with a nervous laugh. "I told you it would not take long."

"So you did," he said with a short nod. "Let's get going so Miss Woods can go home at a reasonable hour."

"Oh no!" Kyoko wailed. "I can't believe I kept Muse-sama waiting all this time!"'

"Then, perhaps we should leave as soon as possible so that we do not lose anymore time." He handed her the umbrella he had been carrying. "Miss Woods gave me this for you to use."

Her eyes softened at Jelly's kindness when a thought occurred to her.

"Tsuruga-san," she looked at him quizzically. "If you had this with you the whole time, why didn't you use it when you were looking for me?"

"I'm so sorry you'll have to put up with my wet clothing in the car," he was surprised at his own sarcasm as he spoke. "But I was more concerned about finding you than staying dry."

She blushed visibly at his words. "Let's just share the umbrella on the way back, Tsuruga-san. And make sure you turn on the heat in the car"

The umbrella proved to be nearly useless as the height difference between the two caused one of them to be poorly protected from the blowing rain regardless of who held it. Ren tried to convince Kyoko to take the umbrella and use it for herself, but she insisted on both of them being sheltered on the walk back. Running out of options, he wrapped his arm around her and drew her closely at his side while he held the umbrella with the other hand and began to walk quickly towards the car. Kyoko had to jog just to keep up with the pace of his much longer legs. The awkwardness of their uncoordinated movements caused them to look at each other and, at the same moment, they broke into fits of laughter. Suddenly, the chill of the rain and the wind was non-existent as they lost themselves in mirth.

Both gasping for air by the time they sat in the car, they stared at each other with sparkling eyes, flushed cheeks and wide grins. Another crash of thunder broke them out of their trance and Ren immediately looked away to start the car and turn on the heat while Kyoko fumbled nervously with her seatbelt.

The drive back to LME was oddly quiet aside from the sounds of tires pushing through water and the rhythmic back and forth of the windshield wipers.. Kyoko watched the heavy rain splatter against her window, silently thanking whatever entity allowed her to avoid suspicion about her job at TBM. She peeked at Ren from the corner of her eye and saw him dutifully concentrating on the road. It did not escape her that his decision to personally risk driving through a storm to find her was significant. He was always helping her in one way or another but, wasn't that what friends typically did? Kyoko did not have enough experience with friendships to know for certain.

Upon their return, Kyoko was greeted with a big hug from Jelly who was ecstatic to know she was unharmed. Yashiro was on the phone when the two arrived and ended the call once they approached the trailer. There was an impish smile on his face and Ren was loathe to find out what he was up to this time.

"That was Director Konoe," he began, his smile getting bigger by the second. "The outdoor shoot scheduled for tomorrow has been pushed back by a day due to the weather. Apparently, the site will need some cleanup after the storm before it can be used so you and Kyoko-chan get the day off tomorrow."

"I'm sure there's something you scheduled me for later that can be moved up to tomorrow?" Ren fought back a groan at Yashiro's enthusiasm.

"Not to worry," his manager chirped gleefully. "I always make sure there is enough cushion in your schedule for filming delays. You two should take tomorrow to relax like good little workaholics."

"I guess that gives me a chance to go to class," Kyoko said as she pondered what else to do with her day off. "I should call Taisho and Okami-san to let them know I'll be home tonight after all. Maybe I can pick up a shift with them tomorrow evening."

As she moved away from the group to quickly place a phone call, Yashiro gave Ren an exasperated glare while Jelly stifled a giggle. Ren rolled his eyes at him and turned towards Jelly to return her umbrella and thank her. When Kyoko returned, she looked agitated and worried.

"Is something wrong, Kyoko-chan?" Jelly was the first to voice her concern for the girl. "Did anything happen to your guardians?"

"Oh, they're fine, Muse-sama," she assured. "But the storm snapped a power line near the shop and they have no idea how long it will be until it is repaired. Okami-san thought it would be better for me to stay somewhere else tonight if I could."

"Do you have a friend you can stay with?" Jelly gave Ren and Yashiro a sideways glance as she spoke, hoping one of them would pick up on the prompt.

"Well," Kyoko tapped her phone to her chin as she thought. "I suppose I could call Mo—Kotonami-san…"

Yashiro interrupted her train of thought, realizing the opening Jelly created. "Ren, couldn't Kyoko-chan stay in your guest room tonight? You two have to meet back up with Miss Woods tomorrow night anyway and we don't know how the storm has affected public transportation. It might be easier if you two stuck together."

Ren kept his face neutral before he responded. These contrived opportunities to shove him and Kyoko together were getting old fast. Especially now that he knew she had feelings for him, it seemed like a bad idea for the two of them to be left alone. On the other hand, he was hesitant to pass up a chance to try talking with her.

"If Mogami-san is alright with it," he said finally with a smile. "I'm happy to offer her a place to stay."

Kyoko found herself caught between a rock and a hard place. Yashiro had made a good point about the possibility of limited transportation but staying with Ren was the last thing she wanted to do. But, wasn't she going to be alone with him anyway if filming hadn't been postponed? At least that would have been behind the mask of Setsu. And his apartment _was_ closer to her school. Her thoughts tumbled haphazardly through her brain to the point she thought it would overheat and shut down.

"If it's not too much trouble," she replied almost robotically. "I suppose I'll be relying on your kindness a second time tonight. Thank you, Tsuruga-san."

* * *

They arrived at Ren's darkened apartment after several assurances that he had already eaten at his last shoot when Kyoko suggested picking up food on the way. She actually made him list everything that was contained in the bento he supposedly ate until she was satisfied that he was telling the truth. He managed to appease her by suggesting they have some tea before going to sleep.

Once they were seated in his living room, each with a steaming mug in hand, Ren took a deep breath before asking the one question that's been on his mind all night.

"Are you allowed to talk about your job at TBM at all, Mogami-san?"

Kyoko lurched forward and nearly spit out her mouthful of tea. "W-what?"

"You've always been very hazy on the details of what you actually do there," he carefully explained. "I was wondering if it was another secret assignment like Setsu."

"Oh, it's nothing like that," she panicked. "I can talk about it, I just prefer not to."

"Is it something embarrassing or are you in some kind of trouble?" his eyes narrowed as he looked at her.

"I'm not in trouble, Tsuruga-san, so please," she begged. "I'd really rather not talk about it, okay?"

He studied her carefully as her shaking hands clung desperately to her mug. It was not his intention to make her this uncomfortable but she was hiding something and he wanted to know why. There was a painful realization that he was always demanding answers of her regarding her actions while never offering any concrete ones for his own. That made him a terrible person, and an even worse friend. He did not want to badger her for an explanation; this time, it needed a different approach. Instead, he decided he should also have some skin in the game.

"Mogami-san," he began hesitantly as he watched her try to avoid his eyes. "Can I propose a trade?"

"A trade?"

"Yes," he carefully chose his words. "I will tell you something about me that very few people know and, in return, you can tell me why you stopped me from following you into TBM tonight."

"Tsuruga-san," Kyoko protested. "You really don't have to do this…"

"No, please," Ren cut her off. "Please, let me do this. You're one of the very few people I consider to be a close friend and I am absolutely grateful to have earned your respect and trust. It is only fair that you should have mine in return."

Kyoko was too flustered to respond. She stared at him, wide-eyed with her lips slightly parted, and nodded slowly. He was unsure how to begin but decided to let it come naturally.

"Like many others in this industry, I do not go by my real name," his voice was a little shaky and he cleared his throat before continuing."However, my reason for doing so is a little… different. Both of my parents are celebrities in America — where I was born — and fairly well-known in their respective professions. Because of this, I thought it would be easy to pursue a similar career as I grew up. I was soon to find out that this was not the case."

At this point, Kyoko had abandoned her mug on the nearby coffee table and was paying rapt attention to Ren as he spoke, her hands folded neatly in her lap.

"Between my mixed heritage and my entitled attitude at the time," he laughed bitterly before he continued. "I faced a number of difficulties. I was fired from more jobs than I could count and I become despondent and angry. But I had a best friend at the time, Rick, who always encouraged me to fight — both mentally and physically — and wouldn't let me feel sorry for myself. Since I was at a very rebellious time in my life, it was the physical fighting that happened more often. One of those fights got a little out of hand and, as I chased the guys down in a blind rage, I didn't realize I was in the path of an oncoming car."

Kyoko gasped involuntarily. Ren didn't realize he had been staring at his upturned hands in his lap the whole time he talked and looked up at her at that instant. She had the first hints of tears in her eyes but shook her head to clear them before placing a hand in his and nodded for him to continue.

"Rick noticed what was about to happen and pushed me out of the way. He took the brunt of the hit and he —" Ren hesitated, his voice cracking. "he was killed instantly. I don't remember much after that except for his girlfriend screaming at me and all the blood. There was so much blood…"

The tears had brimmed over in Kyoko's eyes and streamed silently down her face.

"I can stop if this is too much for you," he offered.

"No," Kyoko shook her head defiantly through the tears. "You trusted me with this story and I have committed to see it through to the end. Please, go on."

Ren took a sip of tea from his mug before proceeding; he noticed that his hands were shaking now. "I went through a deep depression as a result of Rick's death and my parents were extremely concerned for my wellbeing. At that point, President Takarada — who is good friends with my parents — stepped in and offered me a chance to start over. All I had to do was leave immediately, change my name, my appearance and become fluent in Japanese. I took his offer without a second thought and left the house before my mother came back from out of town. I swore then that I would return to them only when I had achieved fame equivalent to theirs through my own efforts. Before I knew it, five years had passed and I had not contacted my parents."

"But, Ren," she said without realizing. "You can't go that long without talking to your parents. I'm sure they're worried sick about you."

"Well, I did get to see my father recently. He's a pretty big star here in Japan too," he smirked before finishing. "You actually got the chance to meet him when he was here."

"I did?" Kyoko was confused.

"I believe the President assigned you as his personal chef during his stay here," he watched her eyes widen in both recognition and horror as he spoke.

"F-father?!" she squeaked. "I mean, Hizuri-san is your father? You're Kuon?! Oh dear, I'm so embarrassed."

"Whatever for?" he said with a laugh. "Because he asked you to call him 'father' or because he had you act as me for a day?"

"Well, yes, those too," her face completely red, she was almost shouting from mortification. "But the way he would get all sorrowful when he talked about you, I assumed you had passed away. Oh my god, I am so sorry!"

"I suppose that's not too far from the truth since Hizuri Kuon technically doesn't exist here. Maybe, now, you'll worry less about calling me Ren, hm?"

"I don't even know _what_ to call you now!" Kyoko was clearly flustered from trying to process everything she just heard.

"I'm sorry, that's probably a lot more than you bargained to hear in one night," said Ren apologetically. "We can go to sleep now if you don't want to talk anymore."

"After you shared something so personal with me?" she asked incredulously. "How could I?"

"If you're sure…"

"I'm sure." she said firmly.

"Well," Kyoko started slowly, not knowing exactly how to explain. "It's probably quite silly to have kept it up until now but at the time that you and I first met we didn't — well you were kind of — and I was just…"

"I get it," he nodded. "We were like oil and water. We didn't get along."

"Exactly," she breathed a sigh of relief. "and when I saw you at that time, you were very much unlike the confident and mature person you typically appeared as to others. I figured if something were to affect _the_ Tsuruga Ren in such a fashion it had to be serious. All I wanted to do was help, I swear!"

"And?" he tilted his head to one side and urged her to continue, trying to understand where she was going with all this.

"And I promise everything you told me at that time was kept completely confidential," she omitted the bit she told Kanae as she was certain the girl would never do anything to betray her confidence.

"Kyoko," he suddenly placed a hand on her shoulder; her eyes to snap up and meet his. "You can just tell me, really. I wont get — no, it's unfair to both of us to promise I won't get upset. But I will promise to listen to everything you have to say and I will carefully consider my response at that time, alright?"

"Okay," she swallowed hard and took an unsteady breath before continuing. "The job I do regularly at TBM requires me to dress up in costume for a live show... as a chicken."

"You're —," Kyoko watched the gears slowly turn in his head as he processed what she said.

"Yes," she confirmed. "I'm Bo."

* * *

 **AND THE CLIFFHANGERS JUST KEEP COMING: I think this is the longest chapter I've written to date for this story. I really need to stop with all the cliffhangers but they make for such a good transition. I'm sorry. I'll work on that.**

 **If anyone has tried to share an umbrella with someone taller than them (or if you've watched/read Gekkan Shoujou Nozaki-kun) then you know how comically ridiculous it is. Therefore, I resolved to make it a hilariously adorable moment for our main characters. Because there's nothing wrong with a little fluff. Gonna go consult my ouija board of notes so I can start summoning a new chapter now.**

 **AUTHOR OUT!**


	9. To Make My Lover Stay

**FROM THE DESK OF THE AUTHOR: This chapter also took longer than I thought but, boy, am I grateful for my story notes or else this would never get off the ground. Even so, I still rewrote the latter half of this chapter at least 3 times! Thanks, as always for all the awesome reviews! I read each and every one of them for encouragement to keep going when I feel like I want to quit. Anywho, on with the continuation from last chapter's cliffhanger!**

* * *

You could hear a pin drop as thoughts tumbled through Ren's head, like items falling haphazardly from an upturned box; errant, jumbled and confused. Unknowingly, he had already confessed his feelings to Kyoko — while she was in a chicken suit, no less. What's more, he was 100% certain that she never guessed he was even talking about her. Of course she didn't; if he had to blatantly request that she consider the two of them friends, there was no way she picked up on his nameless clues.

It all seemed so absurd and he was powerless to stop the laugh that bubbled out of his lips. Kyoko stared at him, her mouth hung open in disbelief. He tried to turn away, covering his mouth with one hand in an attempt to regain his composure. After a couple more snickers and a few awkward coughs, he looked back at her with a somewhat straight face.

"I'm so sorry, Kyoko," he apologized. "The humor of the situation hit me all at once and I couldn't stop myself. I mean, I shared a secret with the last person I would have imagined at the time while they were dressed as a _chicken._ "

His use of her first name did not go unnoticed but Kyoko found she felt less uncomfortable about it to correct him. Perhaps he was right about her worrying less over calling him 'Ren'; it wasn't his real name, after all. The familiarity and closeness that made her so apprehensive before was reduced considerably. She realized he was looking at her oddly; there must have been a strange look on her face.

"It's alright, I understand," she smiled politely. "But, I expected you would be furious not… _laughing_."

"Considering I just told you something that not even my manager knows, I'm actually relieved that I — unwittingly — entrusted my secrets to the same person."

"You mean, Yashiro-san doesn't know?"

"That was the whole point of the deal I made with the President," he nodded. "I was to start over, on my own, without any preferential treatment because of my background or parents. Therefore, the only people who know about me are the President, my parents and now, you."

"Oh," Kyoko went silent and awkwardly picked up her mug from the coffee table and took another sip before resting it in her lap.

"So how exactly did all of that start?" Ren asked. "With you playing the chicken, I mean."

"Well, to make a short story shorter," she stared intently at the liquid in her mug. "Kanae and I were assigned to be audience extras for the premier of Yappa Kimagure Rock. When one of the cast members failed to show up for filming, we were asked to take their place."

"That was lucky," he brought his mug up to his lips for another sip.

"Yes, I suppose it was," she conceded. "Especially since they continued to keep me after the producer wanted to fire me when I made a terrible fool of myself on that first night."

"I remember you saying you were fired. What happened?"

"Well, there was only one thing that would have caused me to lose all sense of reason," Kyoko hesitated, not sure how to mention Sho without Ren getting upset. "Or rather, one _person_. They were a guest on the show that night."

"I see," he said with a terse nod, visibly irritated but tried his best not to let it deter her from continuing.

"I guess," she said with a light shrug. "There was something about my antics that night that endeared me to the audience because they all raved about the chicken. So the producer, begrudgingly, asked me to continue with the show."

"So the night we met in the corridor at TBM and you helped me with that script," Ren pondered. "That was your first night as Bo?"

She nodded, "I spotted you sitting there and tried to sneak past you without seeing me. You were the last person I wanted to see after such a humiliating night. Oh, how I cursed those stupid, squeaky shoes."

"And yet," he smiled. "You helped me anyway."

"Not from lack of trying," she countered. "If you recall, I made fun of you and told you I hated you."

This time, he laughed openly, "So you did."

"But, you were so mature about it and you respected that I was honest with you. I couldn't help but admire that. So, I helped you," she said it so matter-of-factly, as if it were the only rational choice

"And now you know why I was unable to figure out what 'tentekomai' meant," Ren said with a wry smile.

"Oh yeah," her face brightened with the realization. "I suppose today was _my_ turn to be without a phone at TBM. I never did thank you for helping me."

"The look of gratitude on your face when I arrived was enough," he tried to wave it off. "Don't worry about it."

"But you drove through a storm," she countered, her eyes wide in innocent adoration. "For me! That's probably the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me. Thank you, really."

"You-you're welcome," he stammered with a light blush.

The room went silent except for the muffled sound of the wind still keening outside through the thick glass window panes. Two cups of tea had long since lost their warmth, yet they continued to nurse them sporadically. Ren watched Kyoko as she lazily ran a finger around the rim of her mug. She was deep in thought. Her mouth opened as if she was going to speak then closed again and she shook her head; the hand, previously playing with her mug, now tightly fisted.

"What is it?"

"I just don't understand," she struggled to voice her concern. "Out of all the people you could have told… why me?"

They were crossing into very dangerous territory, Ren knew. But it was too late to turn back after he forced her hand to talk about Bo. If she was going to be honest with him, he would have to be for her. It wasn't going to be the main reason but he figured he'd start with this one to test the waters.

"Because we have known each other a lot longer than you think we have," he explained. "It was only a matter of time before you figured out who I was. I didn't want to disappoint you but I owe it to you to tell you the truth."

"What do you mean we've known each other longer? I never met you before I came to LME."

"That's true," he confirmed. "You never met _Tsuruga Ren_ before you came to LME. But you did meet Hizuri Kuon before."

"How? When?" Her head tilted to one side, perplexed.

"When you were a little girl crying by a stream in Kyoto, you couldn't pronounce my name properly," he silently prayed she wouldn't run away after his next words. "And I'm sorry now that I never corrected you, but you mistook me for a fairy. You seemed so happy that I didn't have the heart to tell you otherwise."

"Co-Corn?!" Kyoko shrieked. "You're Corn?"

"Please don't be mad at me for never telling you, Kyoko."

Both hands were now gripping her mug so tightly, her knuckles turned white, "I thought I'd never see you again! Why didn't you tell me?"

"I wanted to, believe me. But I was so afraid you'd be hurt knowing that your most cherished childhood memory was falsified. Especially after what I turned into," he added, bitterness lacing his tone.

Kyoko wished she could feel upset but she was currently unable to. Numb, that was all she could manage. Shouldn't she be mad at him for keeping this secret for so long? No, they were both children and all he was trying to do was lift her spirits when she felt like the world had abandoned her. She knew she could never be mad at him. She rubbed at her eyes with the heel of her hand and let it drop limply into her lap. Ren lurched forward in concern, thinking she was crying when she looked up at him with sad, but dry, eyes.

"I'm okay, Ren," she saw the look on his face. "But this is... a lot to process. It's kind of hard taking it all in."

He was not prepared for the effect of hearing Kyoko call his name so casually and he was fairly certain that his heart might have stopped at the sound of it. Ren looked at the clock on the wall. It was already after one in the morning. If Kyoko really was planning to go to class, she would need sleep soon. However, he was loathe for their talk to end on this note as they were finally having an honest conversation.

"It's alright, Kyoko. We should probably get some sleep anyway," his larger hand covered the one in her lap reassuringly as he nodded towards the clock.

Getting up from their seats in the living room, they stopped in the kitchen to drop off their empty mugs on the way to their respective rooms. After bidding each other good night, they turned to go their separate ways. Kyoko stopped mid-turn and faced Ren again. He caught her sudden shift and looked back at her. Shutting her eyes tightly, she shifted nervously from foot to foot. A blush of embarrassment was beginning to creep across her face. She didn't want to ask about it. And she certainly didn't want to hear about it. But she had to know. She inhaled sharply before the question tumbled out of her mouth.

"You don't have to answer this if you don't want to…" She trailed off, staring at his openly curious face.

"You can ask me anything, Kyoko. What is it?"

"Whatever happened with that girl you told me — well, Bo, actually — about around the time of Dark Moon?" She forced herself to look him in the eye, her face was changing from scarlet to a deep crimson. "Why haven't you told her any of this?"

"… ah," was all he could manage to say.

"Ah?" she mimicked, dubiously.

"Unfortunately, the answer to that is a long one," he smiled sadly. "And one we don't have time for if you want to be rested enough for class tomorrow."

He had already used up all the courage he could muster for one day. There was not enough to spare for _that_ particular revelation tonight. It would have to wait until he was strong enough to convince her to stay after he said his piece.

Her lips formed the "oh" before her vocal chords registered it. She started to turn and walk back towards the guest room.

"I'm sorry, Ren, I didn't mean to pry. Goodnight."

"However… as for your second question, I have told her," perhaps he still had a little courage left.

Kyoko stopped dead in her tracks and froze. She turned to look back at him once more, her mouth agape. Ren was slowly walking towards his bedroom door, hands clasped innocently behind his back.

"B-but, you told me only the President and your parents know apart from me," she spluttered at his retreating form, confusion stilted her voice.

"Yes, that is still a correct statement," he said over his shoulder as he kept walking.

The gears in Kyoko's head seized to a grinding halt, sending smoke and sparks everywhere. Somewhere, in the depths of the darkness in her mind, a small light could be seen; its brightness gradually growing in intensity. She tried to look away and ignore it until it was a blinding glare that swallowed her in brilliant warmth.

Ren stopped when he reached his door and took a final peek at where she stood before he entered. He saw her eyes grow wide as she clamped her mouth shut. At that moment, he knew she had figured it out. He smiled knowingly at her as he opened his bedroom door.

"Goodnight, Kyoko," was all he said before entering his room and closing the door behind him.

The sound of the shutting door broke Kyoko from her reverie. She stared at the door at the end of the hall before walking robotically towards the guest room.

"How the hell am I supposed to get to sleep now?," she whispered.

* * *

 **AND THE PRIZE WAITING BEHIND DOOR #3 IS... ANOTHER CLIFFHANGER!**

 **I tried to make this one less painful there's still a (sort of) conclusion there, I swear! Although, after reading the latest chapter of the manga, I don't think mine are as bad as Nakamura's. Seriously, I can't wait for next months chapter! I'll be seein' you guys next chapter!**

 **Author out!**


	10. All I Ever Knew of Love

**A WORD FROM YOUR ABSENTEE AUTHOR: A thousand apologies for how late this chapter was. I had every intention of updating last month but had to go out of town for work twice (adulting is hard, you guys). I had nearly finished most of the chapter after my first trip but, when I got home from my second trip and re-read it, I hated what I wrote. All of it. I actually just selected the entire block of text, hit delete, and started over from scratch. Since none of you will see the deleted chapter, there's no basis for comparison but, trust me on this one, I think this version is much better. Will there be an epilogue after this? I'm still toying with the idea so... we'll see! Enjoy!**

* * *

Kyoko slept fitfully throughout the night while plagued by dreams of her past that kept randomly transitioning to the present. With a gasp, she bolted upright in a cold sweat after a particularly vivid image of Ren, smiling and inviting her to sit with him on the rock she and Corn shared as children while ethereal beams of sunlight filtered through clouds above him. She was positively terrified; hearing her own heartbeat throbbing in her ears. Gulping for air as she tried to regain her calm, Kyoko wanted nothing more than to forget anything Ren said the night before in the hallway. At this point, however, she knew that was impossible.

The same thing echoed over and over in her head, _'Why did it have to be me? Why does he love_ ** _me_** _?'_

Kanae did make her promise to think this through properly but all she wanted to do was bury her head in the sand and wait for it all to go away. Everything about this was just so _complicated._ He poured his heart out to her last night and told her things about himself he wouldn't dare share with anyone else. It would have been rude to not listen but she almost wanted to appear insensitive if it meant skipping out on the final revelation of the night.

Grabbing her phone from the bedside table, she saw that she had roughly two hours before she had to leave for her first class. The possibility of getting any more sleep was non-existent at this point. She decided instead to start making breakfast. If she was going to have to face him this morning, she was not about to do it on an empty stomach. Kyoko neatly remade the bed and gave herself a quick pep talk in the bathroom as if she were steeling herself for an upcoming battle.

* * *

She nearly jumped out of her skin when she walked out of the kitchen an hour later. Dishes in hand, she was on her way to place breakfast on the table when she noticed Ren sitting quietly on the living room sofa staring out the window. The bowls she held swayed in her grip, their contents sloshing against the sides.

He looked up when he heard the clatter of dishes. Kyoko gestured towards the table with a bowl-laden hand and gave him a sheepish smile. He rose quickly from his seat to assist her, taking the bowls from her hands to place them on the table while she returned to the kitchen for utensils. Once the table was set, they both sat down to eat in awkward silence; each keeping their eyes averted from each other and locked onto the dishes before them.

Eating methodically, Kyoko steadily made her way through her breakfast and only peeked quickly at Ren to make sure he was actually eating. He was moving rather slowly but she could tell that he was, at least, eating something. When they both reached for the coffee pot at the same time, their fingers brushed each other. Kyoko quickly pulled her hand away as if she had been burned by the contact. She stared at his hand, with a slight frown, as it remained hovering near the handle. Her eyes travelled along the line of his arm, shoulder and neck until it reached his face. Though she was never a fan of gambling, when their eyes met and she saw his wide-eyed stare of shock, she would have bet any amount of money that she had the exact same expression on her face.

"I'm—"

"SORRY," Kyoko shouted, cutting him off as she bowed her head towards the table in penance. "I'm so sorry!"

Confused by her sudden outburst, he abruptly shut his mouth and gazed at her in bewilderment.

"Ren, I don't know what I did to cause it but I am very sorry," she remained bowing, her eyes fixed on her bowl as she spoke. "I'll never talk to you again if that's what it takes but I didn't mean to—"

"Before you go any further," he reached a hand out to raise her head but pulled it away upon second thought. "I have to ask you what exactly you're apologizing for."

"I'm apologizing because there must have been something I unconsciously said or did to make you think you were in love with me."

"Okay, knowing you as well as I do, I'm going to assume that there was no conceit behind that statement," he suppressed a chuckle. "But I wonder what makes you think you accidentally wove some sort of spell to make me fall in love with you."

"Because that's the only thing it _could_ be," she looked up at him finally, her eyes pleading. "There's no way someone like you would ever love me."

"And what kind of person do you think 'someone like me' _would_ love?"

"I don't know," her arms flopped uselessly to her sides. "Someone beautiful and elegant and sophisticated. Not someone who's broken, bitter like I am. It would be a complete mismatch."

"I'm pretty certain 'beautiful', 'elegant' and 'sophisticated' could be used to describe you as well, you know."

"That's only when I'm acting," she said made a dismissive gesture with her hand. "The real me is nothing like that."

"Don't you remember what I told you last night? Tsuruga Ren is not the real me either. I'm acting as well and not only when I'm on set," he pointed to himself. "This exterior only hides the mess of a person underneath it who fights with himself every day and tries to atone for the sins of his past."

"Yes but—"

"Kyoko, please," he smiled warmly at her as he continued. "There is no wicked curse or enchantment at work here. I love you for who you are; beautiful, smart, passionate and, yes, maybe a little broken. But, anything you say or do just comes as a part of the package. Why is it so impossible for you to believe that I chose you of my own volition?"

"Because I don't deserve to have anyone love me," the words tumbled heavily from her mouth and hung ominously in the air.

His face became contorted with sadness as he spoke his next words, "I understand that your relationships with your mother and Fuwa may have led you to believe this but I will do whatever is in my power to make sure those words never come out of your mouth again."

Kyoko let out a choked sob as her head bent towards her lap, tears brimming in her eyes as her hand tightened into a fist to the point where she could feel her nails digging into her own skin. It was suddenly enveloped in a soft warmth as she felt Ren's hand rest on hers.

"After all that you've been through? You managed to do what I'm still fighting with everyday," he gave her an encouraging look. "You overcame your own darkness and focused on making yourself into someone you can be proud of. And you did it for _you_ and no one else. How are you not deserving after all that?

"I… don't know."

"Then let me ask you this," his hand tightened around hers, causing her to look up at him. "How do you feel about me? Not as a mentor or co-worker. How do you feel about me knowing now how I feel about you?"

"I—well… I—," she hesitated as the promise she made to Kanae echoed in her head.

"I'm not trying to force my feelings on you and I will absolutely respect any boundaries you set between us but, for my own selfishness at least, I honestly want to know."

"I love you," she whispered so quietly he almost did not quite her.

"I know I'm a few years older than you but I don't think I'm going deaf just yet," he smiled playfully. "Let's try that again, only a bit louder this time."

"I love you, okay?! I tried so hard to convince myself that I was mistaken and that I just greatly admired and respected you but I'm not," she all but shouted in her frustration, her tears long forgotten. "I didn't want to be, but here I am. Happy now?"

"Why didn't you want to love me?"

"Because I didn't want to be like every other woman pining after you," she sighed. "It seemed so pitiful."

"But out of all of those women, you took the time to get to know me," he opened her hand as he continued to hold it and laced his fingers though hers. "If you still feel the same after everything that you know about me now, there's nothing pitiful about that."

Kyoko nodded slowly at this and briefly looked away before breaking their contact to gather the empty dishes from the table to take them back to the kitchen. He reached out to stop her but she shook her head and smiled slightly at him as if to tell him she intended to return and was not running away. If she needed some time alone to collect herself, he was not going to interfere. Moments later, soft clink indicated that the dishes were in the sink and a light sigh sounded behind him as she emerged from the kitchen. He turned in his seat to see her standing behind him; arms folded as she looked at him quizzically.

"So, what happens now," she asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, we did the whole confession thing so, now what? I've never done this before so I really don't know how this all works."

"What do you _want_ to happen," he countered.

She shrugged, "you're asking the wrong person."

"You're the only person that matters, as far as I'm concerned. I do not want to suggest anything that would make you uncomfortable"

"What would _you_ want to happen?" She walked closer towards him, allowing him to take her hand in his.

"I could list off any number of things that would basically boil down to spending more time with you. But if I had to narrow it down to what I'd want right now," a mischievous grin slowly formed on his face. "It would have to be a repeat of our last night as the Heel Siblings."

"You… want to watch TV together?"

"No, I meant after that."

"We each took a shower and went to slee—," she yanked her hand away, her face instantly turned red before she finished her sentence. "Just because we confessed our feelings to each other does _not_ mean I'm about to jump into bed with you!"

"Kyoko," he tried to stop her so he could explain but she continued to ramble.

"I always knew you were a playboy," she pointed an accusing finger at him. "Do you even know how to properly court a lady? So much for not making me uncomfortable."

"Kyoko… I wasn't asleep that night," he said finally.

She was afraid of what he was about to say next, "… what are you trying to say?"

"You did something that night under the assumption that I was sleeping. I'm telling you that I was awake for… most of it."

"Oh—oh God," she hid her face behind her hands out of shame and embarrassment. "So you already knew. This whole time, you _knew_!"

"I had an idea, yes, but without you explicitly telling me I wasn't about to assume anything. Of course I would still have to account for my own behavior as well," he reasoned. "Because, if you recall, I didn't exactly push you away. Either way this played out, neither one of us would have been able to get out of it without explaining our feelings."

"While that is a fair point, it doesn't change the fact that I feel horribly embarrassed," her hands moved to cover her burning cheeks and she swore she was close to hyperventilating. "Not to mention, guilty for doing _that_ without your permission."

"I dealt with quite a bit of that myself," Ren said pointedly. "At first, I was over the moon thinking that you might feel the same way as I do but, after thinking about it some more, I realized I could have misinterpreted and I felt awful knowing that I may have taken advantage of you. It was so bad that even Yashiro noticed."

"You can't be serious."

"Oh, yes. If I recall correctly, he called me 'brooding' and an 'angsty teenager'," he tapped his chin in thought.

What started as a snort soon grew into fits of giggles and ended with Kyoko doubled over laughing while she held on to her stomach with both hands.

"I'm sorry," she said, wiping the last mirthful tears from her eyes. "An honest conversation probably would have saved us a lot of grief, huh?"

"I'm sorry as well," he smiled wryly. "I know I've said and done a lot of things out of jealousy or anger that you misunderstood because you didn't know how I felt about you. I'm going to try to be more honest."

"I'll also try my best."

"Is it okay if I hug you, then?"

Kyoko nodded slightly and he reached towards her to pull her closer to where he sat. As he wrapped his arms around her waist, she awkwardly put her hands about his neck. He heard her sigh again when she rested her head against his shoulder.

"Is everything alright?"

"I'm fine. I just… do you have any idea how nice you smell? Seriously, I mean, all the time; it's almost unnatural."

His body shook beneath her as he laughed into her shoulder, "you're not so bad yourself."

This time, it was her turn to laugh. She pulled her head back to look at him and he gazed up at her with a bright smile that felt like morning sunbeams. He reached up to brush several stray hairs from her face and his hand stilled when it reached her cheek. Kyoko surprised herself when she didn't freeze or pull away from his touch. His eyes searched her face and appeared to be asking for permission. A slight incline of her head was all the confirmation he needed before his lips were immediately upon hers.

There were no fireworks, nor was there a chorus of angels in the background. But there was no need for any of that. This kiss felt like a sympathetic ear, a comforting meal, and a fond memory rolled into one. It felt familiar and warm and safe. It was like coming home. Was this what love was supposed to feel like? Kyoko was not sure but she liked what she had seen of it so far. His arms pulled her closer and, suddenly, the dynamic changed; what started as languid and sweet suddenly became fiery and desperate. She clung to him like a driftwood in a stormy sea as they frantically tangled lips and tongues and hands and hair. Mere minutes felt like hours before they pulled away and stared at each other with flushed cheeks and mussed hair.

"So," he said, clearing his throat so his voice sounded less strained. "You sure you still wanted to go to class today?"

"Right!" she exclaimed, having completely forgotten. "Yes! I should… go get changed… as soon as my legs start working again."

"You flatter me," Ren smirked at her with a raised eyebrow.

Kyoko gasped, crumpled her face into an expression of mock disgust and swatted him lightly on the shoulder. Laughing as she released herself from his arms, he watched her make her way to the spare room. She returned a bit later, dressed in her uniform with her bag in hand, and made her way towards the front door. He followed her over and watched as she slipped her shoes on. She stopped in the middle of putting on her left shoe to look up at him, her head tilted to one side.

Sensing there was a question he prompted her, "what is it?"

"Nothing, I'm just surprised you have not asked if I need a ride yet."

"Considering the conspiratorial looks I saw passing between Yashiro and Jelly Woods last night," he folded his arms and looked down at the neglected shoe. "I'd say the President is well aware that you spent the night here. Therefore, I am certain he has someone on the lookout for me dropping you off at the school so they can 'gauge how the night went', as it were."

The hidden purpose of the Heel Siblings assignment suddenly occurred to her, "He's been playing matchmaker with us all along, hasn't he? His meddling really knows no bounds."

"You're right," he agreed. "That's why I figure we could keep them guessing for a bit longer."

"Well, they've waited this long," she shrugged. "Whats a few more days… or weeks?"

He laughed, "I'm glad you agree."

Once both shoes were on, Kyoko stood up straight and looked around for her bag. Ren's outstretched arm came into view and she spotted her bag in his hand. When she reached out to take it, he withdrew the arm and bent forward towards her face with a wide-eyed smile. She blinked and stared at him, her brow furrowed. With his other hand, he slowly reached up and pointed towards his mouth. Her brow crinkled further as she regarded the anxious face before her. Finally realizing what he wanted, she balled her hand into a fist and smacked the side of it into her forehead in frustration. She gave him a quick peck on the lips and was awarded her bag for her efforts.

"I'm sorry. That was awkward. I promise I'll work on how all this is going to work," she waved a hand, gesturing between them, "You'll have to bear with me."

"Take all the time you need," he rested a hand reassuringly on her shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. "I'll see you later, Kyoko."

"Yea," she beamed up at him. "I'll see you later!"

Nothing could wipe the grin off his face as he watched the door close softly behind her. He was so elated, he wanted dance and sing and make odd flailing motions with his arms. Instead, he scratched at the back of his neck while locating his phone before sitting down in the living room with it. With an entire day off and the apartment to himself, he decided to do what most adults do when they have a momentous change in their lives; call his parents. Hopefully, he'd be able to convince them to keep the secret from President Takarada.

The bus rumbled down the streets of Tokyo while Kyoko put all her effort into fighting back the smile that threatened to creep onto her face. Being a naturally jovial person meant a smile was not necessarily out of character, but she figured she should dial it back a bit in the event that the President's spies really were looking for her. Once she arrived and made her way to the school gates, she thought she saw a plain-clothed 'Sebastian,' out of the corner of her eye, trying to blend in with the rest of the people on the sidewalk.

Frowning slightly, she made a purposeful expression as she strode through the gates. She hoped Ren's suspicion would be wrong but, knowing the President for as long as he has, she knew it was not unfounded. Staying guarded all day was not going to be easy, but she resolved to go through with it. At the end of the day, she would be back with the man she loved and who, most importantly of all, loved her in return and _they_ could figure out their relationship before anyone else did. She was happily surprised that she was actually looking forward to it.

The end?

* * *

 **A WORD OF THANKS: Thank you to EVERYONE who read, commented, favorited and followed this story. This is the first story I've ever written that had 100 follows. I almost cried, I was so moved by the amount of people who took the time to read and appreciate my story. I still have a few ideas for a couple other ideas for this fandom so I hope you'll keep an eye out for them in the future. THANK YOU FOR COMING ON THIS JOURNEY WITH ME!**

 **Author OUT!**


	11. EPILOGUE: I'm Good Enough for Him

**YOUR AUTHOR RETURNS: I played around with various versions of an epilogue for this story and none of them seemed fitting conclusions. I was happy to leave the story as-is until this popped into my head around midnight last night and I stayed up to write it out before I forgot it. Hope you like it!**

* * *

EPILOGUE

"In a move that surprised no one, but finally put an end to two years' worth of speculation, superstar actors, Tsuruga Ren and Mogami Kyoko, officially announced they are now in a relationship," the chipper voice of the news reporter blared from the television. "The famous couple repeatedly dispelled rumors of their involvement over the years saying that they continued to remain as good friends only."

"We've been trying for ages to get them together," Ogata Hiroaki began in a video clip of an interview with a number of familiar co-stars and directors. "They always brushed us off saying they preferred to just be friends but we could all tell they were meant for each other."

"Those two got along so well, I wouldn't be surprised if they finished each other's sentences," Marumi said.

"Actually, I'm pretty sure they did that," Kijima's voice chimed in laughing before the camera panned to him.

"Remember that one time Kyoko fell asleep on set waiting for Ren to finish a scene? He had lost some silly bet they made and had to buy her dinner that night," Momose reminisced with a smile. "The way he picked her up without a word and carried her off to take her home was so sweet."

"I can only imagine what hell awaited him when she woke up," Michika added. "They teased each other so mercilessly at times."

"Their banter with each other was infamous," Director Shingai agreed. "Everyone thought they argued like an old married couple."

"Fellow celebrities, and fans alike, were all relieved to hear their favorite pair have finally become an item," the reporter continued. "And to the happy twosome, we say 'congratulations' and 'it's about damned time!'"

Kyoko turned the television off once the report ended and turned to her companion with a smile.

"That went well, I think," she said with a relieved sigh.

"Well this was your plan, after all," he shrugged and returned her smile. "There was no way it could fail."

"It was _our_ plan, Kuon. Don't let me take all the credit."

"I don't need credit when I've already got you," he pulled her towards him and softly kissed his way from her shoulder up her neck and ending on her lips.

"Oh, you charmer," her smile became a grin and she patted him on the leg. "Now, help me decide who gets to do our official first interview."

The plan they concocted was actually quite brilliant in its simplicity; they played the role of best friends until the populace begged for them to be something more. They flaunted their 'friendship' in public by going shopping, having meals and attending awards ceremonies and parties together. Everything seemed blissfully platonic on the surface while the heated embraces and furtive kisses stayed exclusively behind closed doors. Essentially, they hid in plain sight and no one was any wiser.

Those closest to them were let in on the conspiracy fairly early on as the need for people to corroborate their stories became apparent. While Kanae and Ren's parents were told almost immediately, Yashiro was strung along due only to the fact that his frustration amused Ren greatly. By that same token, President Takarada was one of the last to be clued in. Everyone agreed he was better off with plausible deniability as his fervent enthusiasm over their relationship would prevent him from ever effectively lying about it.

With one revelation out of the way, Ren began to think seriously about his own remaining disclosures. Was the world ready to find out about Hizuri Kuon? Would people accept him for the man he strived to become? He planned to find out soon as there was a carefully hidden ring box in the back of his top dresser drawer. It had been sitting there for months, after it arrived from his father, itching to see the light of day and bestow an eternal promise upon the woman, with the sparkling golden eyes, who sat beside him.

THE END!

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 **FAREWELL: That was so sweet it made my teeth hurt a little. But, it was a fitting follow-up, I think. Thanks, as always, to everyone who enjoyed this story and shared their thoughts with me in reviews. I can now direct my full attention to my new story and I hope to see you over there!**

 **AUTHOR OUT!**


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